History

African Horse Co evolved out of the Oude Molen Farm Project.

In 1996, an organic vegetable project began within the Valkenberg Hospital grounds in Observatory, Cape Town. Situated along the Black River, on the site of the first windmill in the Cape, the Oude Molen Farm was the perfect place to bring the history of the horse back into focus. Here horses are used to plough the land and a horse drawn wagon delivers vegetables into the suburb.

In January 2000, Oude Molen Stables riding school, started as an added attraction to the farm. This was an opportunity for families to bring their children to an environmentally aware and friendly area, where ponies and horses were available for a range of activities.

The next progression was exploration of the area. In keeping with the historical significance, routes were followed that the early Dutch and English settlers would have followed in their exploration of the Cape. This led us to ride all through the city from Pinelands to Hout Bay, Constantia to Scarborough, Observatory to the Waterfront.

An opportunity arose to establish a horse trail entity in the Stanford-Hermanus Overberg region. The link was established between Oude Molen and Stanford and the African Horse Co was born. The focus is on the natural environment and on what roles the horse can play in these days of modern exploration.

The ethic underlying African Horse Co is one of bringing the horse back into modern society as working partner and friend.

We are witnessing a change in environmental management and seeing huge development in the protection and resuscitation of the nature in the Overberg.

AHCo hopes that the horse will play a large role in this new way forward. Projects, including tourism, alien clearing, ranging and maintenance of the land, are areas where the horse can fulfill its age old purpose of partnering humanity on its way.